HOUSTON, Texas—They're small, fast, and only an eighth-of-an-inch long, but swarms of tiny ants are causing big pains for homeowners in the Houston area.
First identified in Texas in 2002, the ants are believed to have arrived onboard cargo ships. The ants have raised havoc in homes and yards across three counties surrounding Houston and the number of infested areas is expected to reach well beyond the Houston area.
Known informally as "crazy rasberry ants"—crazy for the ants' erratic paths and rasberry after the local exterminator Tom Rasberry, who initially battled the ants in 2002—researchers have yet to formally identify the reddish brown creatures.
In the past few years, the ants have spread a radius of 50 miles and the burgeoning population is rapidly moving into Houston, often crawling into and shorting out computer and electrical equipment
"These ants are raising havoc," said Roger Gold, professor of entomology at Texas A&M University in College Station, in a recent article published by Computerworld. "They're foraging for food, and they'll go into any space looking for it. In the process, they make their way into sensitive equipment."
Like some ants, the "crazy rasberry ants" are known to be attracted to electronic equipment sometimes costing the owners thousands of dollars in damage. The ants have been documented fouling computers, ruining sewage pumps, and shorting out vehicles after crawling inside.
According to research by Jason Meyers, a graduate research assistant at Texas A&M University's department of entomology, the ant colonies contain multiple queens, allowing them to populate at a rapid speed. The ants are also impartial to nesting habits known to most ants. Instead, colonies can be found under almost any object, including logs, trash cans, and pet water bowls.
Currently known by the name of "paratrenicha species near pubens," researchers are still questioning the specific taxonomy of the crazy rasberry ants, but most scientists agree that they are related to the equally infamous Caribbean crazy ant.
For homeowners across Houston, the problem isn't what the creature is named, it's how to get rid of them.
"I wish [the ants] would disappear," said Jan Tang, a computer data analyist whose home became infested months ago. "They were everywhere. They were in the bathrooms, in the kitchen, and crawling all over the countertop."
Tang recalls a particularly gruesome moment in the winter as swarms of the tiny ants spilled into the bath tub as she turned on the faucet for a shower.
"It was really cold so I think the ants probably crawled inside the walls and into the pipes where it was warm," said Tang. "It scared me at first, but then it became really annoying."
Residential areas, however, are not the only places infected by the ants. In March, NASA's Houston Johnson Space Center saw pockets of infestations developing on its property.
According to researchers, the ants have so far been immune to most over-the-counter ant killers.
Tang's husband attempted to stop the ants by spraying the infested areas of their home, but the ants were unfazed.
"They just kept coming," said Tang.
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